After The End
by Mapoto
Summary: Pyrrha is mercilessly defeated at the hands of Cinder. Time passes and she finds her spirit wandering in the afterlife to meet a hauntingly familiar face. Oneshot, takes place simultaneously with the events of Volume 3 Chapter 12.
Somewhere beyond the realm of the living, there was nothing. A white emptiness.

The ethereal form of Pyrrha Nikos traveled across this vast nothingness, her soul lacking the weight it held in life, a great burden seemingly lifted with her passing.

Her soul, her aura, a crimson mist, converged at one point within this space. It proceeded to glow before she felt her body come together from dust, a consciousness slowly regaining coherence. First, she was able to see. Afterwards she could hear. Then smell. Her senses all came back to her, and she observed her situation with a melancholy demeanor. The ground was nonexistent, as was the sky. For that particular moment, there was nothing but Pyrrha Nikos.

"Am I...alive?"

For a minute she pondered the likelihood that perhaps Cinder didn't kill her. Maybe she was taken somewhere.

But then she saw an orange-haired girl pop into view, and she dropped to her knees with a painful epiphany.

"I...I'm..." Pyrrha mouthed the words, shock and surprise taking her by the throat.

"Oh god...I really am gone..."

But she wasn't regretful. Just slightly startled. She knew this would come. Here she was, now in the afterlife with the girl she just killed. _There would be no peace for what I did_ , Pyrrha thought. _It's only right._

Her heart plummeted into the depths of her stomach, immense guilt coming to the surface in exchange.

She got up and slowly walked towards the other girl, tears beginning to pool in her eyes.

The girl's orange hair bounced on her head as she turned around and green orbs grew at the sight of her killer. There was no anger in them.

A hand reached out and greeted the visitor warmly.

"Salutations, Pyrrha Nikos! It really is an honor to meet you again."

Pyrrha was taken back by her victim's kindness. She killed this girl. How could she be so friendly? Words jumped the front of her mind. Her debt was still unpaid. She didn't know what to do.

Simple words. "Penny...I'm sorry..."

Before Pyrrha's arrival, Penny did very little but think. She thought about the few seconds of life preceding her gruesome defeat. It wasn't fun to remember, but she was content with the outcome. The android's kind green eyes did not hold spite or malice. Her smile faded at seeing how deeply affected Pyrrha was. She didn't hate anyone. She had to admit - her swords were very dangerous. It was understandable that Pyrrha might have panicked. Penny did not know her, but she did know that the woman was a friend of Ruby's, and she was going through her fair share of troubles too. She couldn't have meant to do something like that. _There were some bad people that attacked Ruby a while back. They could have been behind it. They probably killed Pyrrha, too._ Penny's mind thoroughly analyzed this data. _Pyrrha was good. Like Ruby._ She didn't mean what she did. Penny knew that.

"I'm so sorry...I didn't mean to...I'm sorry..." Pyrrha bit her lip and looked down in shame, tears pouring from her eyes and vanishing into the void. Her voice chopped up and regressed into whimpering as sadness and remorse consumed her. Ruby told her it was alright. Jaune said the same thing. That it wasn't her fault. That woman, Cinder; she was behind it somehow.

Pyrrha couldn't help but feel bad though. She took this girl's life, and the girl simply smiled at her and greeted her. She didn't deserve this. If there was a second death, she begged for it. Pyrrha Nikos was not deserving of such kindness.

"Sorry...I'm really sorry..." she repeated, her eyes blurred by a layer of warm tears.

Penny looked down down at the one who cut her life short, sadness painted onto her visage.

"It's alright Pyrrha. I know you didn't mean it."

Despite how she felt about herself, Pyrrha knew this was true. She would never mean something like this.

"Ruby has told me about you. You are a very good person." Her eyebrows raised. "Why are you here, friend?"

Pyrrha winced as she recalled her last living moments. The arrow piercing her heart...the pain...it burned...

"I...I was trying to stop that woman...Cinder...she was going to completely tear apart Beacon unless someone did something..."

Penny shook her head in confusion. "Cinder?"

"I think she's the one who made me...who..." Pyrrha bit her lip in an attempt to hold back more tears. "I said goodbye to Jaune, and I went to the top of the tower to fight her...but she was too strong; she shot me..." The red-headed woman clenched her fist. "I couldn't defeat her...what if she hurt someone else..." Her hands moved to cup her mouth and she gasped. "Ruby...Ruby was up there! Jaune likely told her to come for me...it was too late though. What if...Ruby...Jaune...Oh god..."

"Jaune...Ruby tells me about him, too. He is a friend of yours?" Penny inquired.

"Yes," Pyrrha said with a sad smile. "You could say that."

"Why did you say goodbye?"

"I felt like I had to leave. I didn't want to, but there was something very important I believed I was obligated to do."

"I'm sorry that you had to leave him," the robot girl said sympathetically. "I don't have many friends, but I wouldn't want to leave them either." Her voice lowered. "I really miss my father...and I really miss Ruby, too..."

Pyrrha knew. She looked up at the android with sorrow-filled eyes.

"Penny, I'm so, so sorry...I can understand how much Ruby meant to you...I didn't mean to take you away from her or your father...to take you away from any of that..."

"But...it wasn't you, right? It was that woman you said. Cinder. "

Pyrrha's eyes shifted their focus away from Penny.

"Don't apologize. I believe you. I had a good life." Penny smiled. "I only hope Ruby and her friends are doing okay. She hasn't forgotten about me, has she?"

"Penny..." Pyrrha knew the girl wasn't trying to upset her more, but she always found her mind dwelling on her mistakes, and this was no different. To know she killed - no, to know someone else _made her_ kill a girl and rip her away from her only friend...this frustrated her. It wasn't fair. Penny didn't deserve this. No one deserves this.

"Ruby hasn't forgotten about you. Don't say that."

Emerald green eyes sparkled. "Really...?"

"Of course."

"I'll come back. Eventually I'll come back."

"Oh?"

Pyrrha couldn't help but smile at Penny's optimism. Even if it wasn't actually going to get them anywhere, she found herself smiling anyway. She had wished she were so optimistic. "Someday, somehow, I'll come back...I'll say hi to Ruby. And we can defeat bad people like that Cinder girl together!" Penny continued. "I don't want anyone else to end up like me or you...no one should have to lose the people they care about..."

Pyrrha's heart dropped a few inches lower. The more she learned about this girl, the worse she felt.

To an extent, she regretted doing what she did to Jaune. He obviously cared about her, and she left him alone willingly. She ultimately accepted her fate, though. Her death was not in vain. She knew it wouldn't be. Whatever time she bought when she held off Cinder, something good had to come out of it. She had to do this. Perhaps a part of her wanted to atone for her mistake, too. If she died, it was only fair. Eye for an eye. If she didn't confront Cinder, everyone could have been destroyed, not just Penny and her. She'd been working up to something like this her entire life. There was no going back on that.

 _This was my destiny. I fulfilled my destiny..._

 _Was everything a mistake?_

"That sounds great, Penny. I'll be rooting for you." Pyrrha smiled, her cheeks stained with tears.

"...Wasn't it dangerous though? Why did you fight Cinder if she was so strong?"

"I felt like if I didn't, things would get much worse. She was behind the Grimm invasion...behind what happened to you...even if I couldn't beat her, I had to try. This was something I believed I was meant to do. Now I'm gone...and I can only hope that everyone else is safe."

Penny nodded her head to indicate her comprehension.

"I know you did great. Jaune is lucky to have had a good friend like you."

She continued. "My father explained that people like you are heroes. They're brave and selfless, risking their lives to protect the world. I was told that someday I would be a hero too."

It was because of Pyrrha's bravery and selflessness that she was gone. Undoubtedly Jaune did not take this well. She now existed only in his memories. It wasn't an easy decision to leave him like this, for she didn't want to hurt him. But to her it was Jaune or everyone else at Beacon. She was confident that he would be fine without her, though. She taught him enough. Jaune Arc was a strong person. _He still is_ a strong person. He'll be fine. Pyrrha needed a sign. Any sign to show that everyone else was alive.

Just then, the unknown powers behind the realm of the nonliving had a stroke of generosity. The nondescript space the girls were in twisted and contorted violently. A flash of light, and Pyrrha and Penny found themselves floating above a snowy sky. The two girls opened their mouths in awe. Strolling along a snow-covered path was Nora. Next to her was Lie Ren.

There were two other figures.

"Jaune..."

"Ruby..."

A genuine peace appeared to sweep across Pyrrha. Within her mind subconscious fears put themselves to rest. She found solace in knowing her demise was not for naught. Whatever transpired afterwards - Ruby and the rest of team JNPR were alive.

There was no way all evil was gone for good. That would take a miracle. Pyrrha Nikos didn't believe in miracles.

What Pyrrha Nikos did believe in was hope for the future.

Nora was babbling on to Ren as he smiled and ruffled her hair. Jaune and Ruby's faces did not hold the vaguest hint of distress. They lit up as they walked, pairs of silver and blue eyes shining with ambition and confidence. Within this team there was a definite uncertainty, but there was also the will to move forward.

The android sighed, reassured.

They both took in this glimpse of life, having shifted to an unusual state of tranquility. Pyrrha felt her body begin to fade away. She was not afraid though. At last she was truly content with her departure. There was no doubt. Her fate was sealed.

Penny turned to her friend and gasped. "Pyrrha!" Her surprise morphed into a fierce glare that tore into the red-headed girl's soul.

Oh no.

"You've done well." the android said, saluting her friend.

Pyrrha closed her eyes.

"Thank you Penny...thank you so much."

Penny nodded and grinned.

"There isn't much left for the both of us...but I know Ruby, Jaune, and everyone else can protect the world, even if we're not around to see it. They'll make sure no one else turns out like me or you. I know this, Penny. I may be truly dead, but you have a chance to live again. You could come back. But if you don't...I want you to have faith in our friends."

Penny held Pyrrha's hands tightly, fearing their goodbye. She attempted to push aside feelings of sadness, but to no avail. She was artificial in body but not in spirit, and it is at this moment that tears began to run down her cheeks as she said her farewells to the last friend she would ever have. "If I come back...when I see Jaune, I'll let him know. I'll let him know you haven't forgotten about him, and that you're counting on him!"

"It'd mean a lot to me...thank you. Oh, Penny. One more thing."

Pyrrha grabbed Penny's hands and clutched them.

"If you come back, please take care of yourself. Ruby wouldn't want you to get hurt again." she said with a smile. "I'm glad to have met you, Penny. If only things turned out differently."

"It's alright. I'm alright." Penny perked up again. "Besides, it was a fun fight! I am honored to have fought a strong opponent such as yourself..." The curly-haired girl grinned. "Pyrrha Nikos, I declare you victorious." Penny happily announced with a bow.

Pyrrha wiped her eyes and giggled in relief. Her time was almost up. "Yes, it was fun...thank...you..."

She wrapped her arms around the robot girl, laughing. The both of them agreed to themselves that maybe they needed a little comfort. Penny returned the gesture, sighing to herself. They closed their eyes and held their embrace for what felt like millenia. It wasn't like there was much else to do anyway.

"Take care..."

And with that, the brave warrior's aura evacuated the plane of nonexistence, leaving behind a faint red light. Penny's eyes moved towards the vision of Ruby and the rest of team JNPR walking together in the distance. She wiped her face and fondly smiled at the sight.

"I'll live again...for Ruby, for Jaune...and for Pyrrha."


End file.
